Search operations coordinated through the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) Fiji are underway for nine fishermen who failed to return from a fishing trip that began on April 22, the Fiji Police Force has confirmed.
In a statement, police said the group departed from Vatuwaqa for Kadavu waters on the morning of April 22. “When they failed to return as scheduled, a report was lodged with Police with search efforts activated through RCC Fiji,” the statement said. Authorities confirmed that search operations remain active as efforts continue to locate the missing men.
The involvement of RCC Fiji marks the formal activation of national maritime search-and-rescue protocols; the centre coordinates responses to incidents at sea and draws on appropriate naval, police and other resources when a missing vessel or persons are reported. Police did not release further details about the type of vessel involved, the exact number of people on board beyond the nine confirmed missing, or the assets currently deployed in the search.
The case began when relatives or associates raised concern after the fishermen did not return at the expected time, prompting the lodging of a police report that triggered the RCC-led response. Police statements have so far stuck to confirming operational coordination and the start date of the journey; no further updates on sightings, debris, or search results were provided in the latest release.
The incident comes amid wider public calls for strengthened systems to respond to missing persons cases. Human rights and civil society groups have previously urged the government to establish a dedicated national taskforce to improve coordination across agencies and communities in missing-persons cases — a backdrop that underlines the importance of timely, multi-agency responses when people go missing at sea.
For now, police and RCC Fiji remain engaged in the search, and authorities say operations are ongoing as they work to locate the fishermen and determine their welfare and whereabouts.
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